This magnificent new book demonstrates the development of a distinctive, unified culinary tradition throughout the Italian peninsula. Thematically organized and beautifully illustrated, Italian Cuisine is a rich history of the ingredients, dishes, techniques, and social customs behind the Italian food we know and love today.

aeo A 2000 year history of the linked histories of food, culture and regional identity -- from Roman antiquity to the present. aeo The first book of its kind. aeo Scholarly in its range of reference, witty and accessible in style. aeo Covers all the regions of Europe.

Explores the innovative premise that everything having to do with food - its capture, cultivation, preparation, and consumption. This book shows how food, once a practical necessity, evolved into an indicator of social standing and religious and political identity.